Paul George, Out For Season, Still Owed $162 Million Over Next Three Years

Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George could start to give Bradley Beal a run for his money when it comes to the worst contracts in the NBA.

Paul George Owed $162 Million For Remainder Of His Contract

It was less than a year ago when George opted out of his $48.7 million player option with the Los Angeles Clippers. He became a free agent for the first time since 2019, and seemed to have a preferred destination in mind. During the 2024 signing period, he inked a deal with the 76ers, who were looking to take the next step and finally advance past the second round of the playoffs.

They handed him a four-year deal worth north of $211 million, making him the 6th-highest paid player in the league in terms of annual salary.

Paul George would join Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, and attempt to build on a 2023-24 season that saw them go 47-35. According to the sportsbooks, Philadelphia was projected to win the third-most games of any teams in the Eastern Conference, and had the 8th-shortest championship odds in the NBA.

Paul George will finish the season playing the fewest games since 2021-22.

It is the 5th time in 6 years he has played fewer than 60 games.

He will turn 35 in May and is owed $162M over the next 3 years.

— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) March 17, 2025

They haven’t come close to living up to expectations. With a month left in the regular season, George and the 76ers have a 23-44 record, the 6th worst overall. Embiid has already been shut down for the season, and it was announced that George would join him on the bench after consulting doctors on his injury situation.

The contract is looking like an albatross. This is the 5th time in the last 6 seasons that he has failed to reach the 60 game mark, and he saw his numbers take a serious dive when he was available. George had averaged better than 21 points per game in every season since 2015-16, a figure that dropped to 16.2 in 2024-25. He is less than two months away from turning 35 years old, and it is becoming increasingly apparent that his production is not matching his pay.

It won’t get any better in terms of the money he is owed. This season, the cap hit for Paul George stood at $49 million, tied for the 6th most of any player in the NBA. That figure is set to grow over the final three years of his contract, and he will be owed $56.5 million in 2027-28 when he is 37 years old. In total, he is owed over $162 million until then.

Given his age and his possibly fading skill set, trading his contract will be an extremely difficult route to explore.